An Alolan Experience
by Dex Cipher
Summary: Selene is an eleven year old girl that has had the dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer since she was younger. When she moves from Kanto to Alola, she is determined on embarking on the Island Challenge. Soon, she realizes that her dream is not an easy task to do, so she ends up giving up on the Island Challenge and joins Team Skull in an attempt to grow strong and reach her goal.
1. Welcome to Alola, cousin!

**Welcome to Alola, cousin!**

The Alola region, a vocational paradise known all around the world for the hospitality that the people of this region show. Here, in Alola, humans and Pokémon enjoy to lend a Helping Hand to one another. We like to help each other grow and improve.

People and Pokémon of Alola like to relax and get along with others.

Battling is another activity that is greatly enjoyed in the region. The Island Challenge is really popular among the young trainers of Alola which like to constantly battle against one another to test their strength and the strength of their Pokémon.

This helps them to improve and to form friendships with many, keeping alive the spirit of this tradition.

"Doesn't that sound lovely, dear?" The mother asked her daughter as she finished reading the pamphlet of Alola she had between her hands, but as she turned her head to see her daughter, she realized that she had been looking out of the plane's window the entire time.

"Yes, mom…" She said as she kept staring outside with a sad frown on her face. Not really listening to what her mother was saying.

"Aww, come on, Selene, cheer up! I know it's hard to leave Kanto and all your friends behind. But you can keep contact with all of them! And you can make new friends in Alola!" Selene's mother said in an attempt to comfort her daughter.

"Yes, mom… I know, I know…" But Selene was still staring outside, thinking of her two friends from Kanto. The three of them have been friends since they met and they all have been planning to depart into a Pokémon adventure across the region as trainers once they turned 11 years old.

She had agreed to that plan and was excited to travel with her friends in a journey to become a Pokémon trainer, even if she wasn't that good at Pokémon battles. She was still willing to try, though.

But now, everything seemed ruined. The moment they told her they would be moving to Alola, a really nice region filled with many nice persons and new Pokemon, but that lacked any Gyms or a Pokemon League. And the initial Pokémon that the trainers received. The three of them were great! Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. They were so good, that she was having problems deciding which one to choose.

"Well, now I don't have to worry about that…" Selene said to herself in a soft voice.

"Did you say something?" Her mom asked, barely managing to hear the whisper.

"No, nothing, mom." She answered.

Her mom looked at her, upset because her daughter was upset.

"Hey, did you know that some Pokémon of Alola have regional variations?" Her mother asked, trying to lighten up the mood. Their pet Meowth, who was resting on her lap, was curiously eyeing the picture of an Alolan Meowth on the pamphlet.

Selene smiled a little slightly and pet the Meowth on the head.

"Really? I didn't know that."

Her mother smiled. "Everything will be fine, sweetie. You'll see."

The plane kept its course, flying through the Alolan skies.

…**Three days later…**

After arriving to the region that became their new home, Selene and her mom moved all the way from the airport to their new house with the help of the Alola Machamp Moving Service.

The moving went smoothly, but Selene who was still exhausted for the trip, had literally collapsed in the bed as soon as they arrive.

"Mrawr!"

"Hmm…?" Selene stirred awake, taken away from her dreams by the meowing of her mother's Meowth. She rose from bed while yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Morning already?" She asked as she looked out of the window, realizing that it was, indeed, morning already. She yawned one last time as she stretched before getting out of bed and walking out of her room.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Her mother greeted cheerfully as she walked into the house after being outside, enjoying the sun of Alola.

Meowth came out of Selene's room and stood by its owner's side, like it usually did.

"Morning, mom. What's up? You look excited." Selene asked, still rubbing one eye with the back of her hand.

"Well, of course I am! Professor Kukui promised to come today and take you to meet the Kahuna of the island!"

Selene takes a moment to process this before replying. "Ah, yes, I kinda forgot about that. What is a Kahuna?"

"Well, I think the Professor can explain it better than I can." Her mother explained.

Just in that moment, a knock on the door was heard.

"Oh, that must be him! Why don't you go and answer the door, Selene?"

"Alright…" She replied and started to make her way to the door, but the door was opened from the other side.

"Alola!" Kukui said as he casually walked inside the house.

"Oh, nevermind, I guess he'll just let himself inside." Selene's mother said jokingly.

"Sorry for intruding like that! I just really wanted to greet you, cousin!" Kukui admitted cheerfully.

"It's alright, don't worry about it, Professor Kukui!" Selene's mom replied.

"No need to be so formal, yeah? Just Kukui is fine." He said politely before turning his attention to the young girl. "So, you must be Selene, yeah?"

"Um, yes, I am. Nice to meet you, Prof- Kukui! I mean, Kukui!" Selene stuttered nervously, not wanting to upset their visitor.

"Don't sweat it, cousin." He reassured her before asking the big question. "So, are you ready to go and meet the Kahuna of this island?"

"Umm… I actually don't know what a Kahuna is." Selene replied honestly, with all traces of her previous nervous behavior gone.

"Hm, I see. Well, don't worry about it. Your pal Kukui is here to explain it to you, oh yeah!" He exclaimed. "For the sake of keeping it simple, the island Kahuna is the one in charge around here, yeah. Each island has their own Kahuna, and each one of them were chosen by the Deity Pokémon of their island. Here, in Melemele Island, we have Tapu Koko as our deity guardian!"

"Ooooh! So the Kahunas are, like, chosen ones?" Selene asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You pick up on things really fast, yeah! Now, with that outta the way, are you ready to head out?" Kukui asked.

"Umm… Yes, I guess." Selene answered as she started to walk towards the door, but her mother stopped her in her tracks by asking a simple question.

"Are you sure you want to go and meet the Kahuna like that, sweetie?"

"Hm?" Selene wondered what her mother meant by the statement, until she looked down at herself, just realizing that she was still on her pajamas. Selene squealed in surprise before she rushed to her room. "Please wait while I change!" She said over her shoulder before going into her room and locking the door.

"Hey, cousin, pretend that you're a Pokémon and use your Agility! The Kahuna is waiting!" Kukui called out.

"Y-Yes! S-S-Sorry!"

Then, the sound of falling boxes alongside a shout from Selene were heard from inside her room.

Kukui and Selene's mother looked at the door of the room with concern before she shouted an "I'm okay!", from the inside of the room.

…

A change of clothes later, Selene and Kukui were on their way to Iki Town, the place where they were supposed to meet the Kahuna of Melemele. Speaking of which…

"And what kind of person is the Kahuna?" Selene asked with curiosity evident in her tone.

"Are you nervous of meeting him?" Kukui asked as she looked down at her.

"…A little." She admitted.

"Hahaha! Don't worry too much about it, cousin! He may not look like it, but old Hala is very kind and outgoing! Everybody loves that guy! I'm sure he'll like you right away! Trust me!" Kukui encouraged as they kept going on their way.

"Professor! Professor!" A voice called out, calling the attention of the two.

"Ah, Alola. Jimmy, yeah? Have you've been training hard since last time?" Kukui asked the young one.

"I sure did! Rattata and I have been training a lot to learn new moves! Would you like to battle again and see for yourself?" The kid asked excitedly.

An excited grin formed in Kukui's face. "Well, you know what they say! When two Pokémon trainers cross eyes, it's time for a Pokémon fight, woo!" Kukui turned into Selene's direction. "Hey, have you ever been in a Pokémon battle before, cousin?"

"Well, no. I've only watched some on TV." Luna replied while scratching the back of her neck.

"Well, then prepare to watch one live, right here, right now, yeah!"

"Really?" She asked with excitement in her eyes, more than ready to witness the fight. "But, aren't we supposed to go and meet the Kahuna?" She asked with worry, suddenly remembering what they were supposed to be doing.

"It won't take long. Don't sweat it, cousin!"

"OK, if you say so!" She exclaimed, not at all bothered anymore.

...

After a few seconds, Kukui and the youngster were facing each other, having enough space between them for the fight. Selene was just sitting on a rock as a spectator, tapping her feet with anticipation.

"Hey, cousin! It's time for you to meet my partner! Go, Rockruff!" Kukui shouted as he threw the pokeball up in the air.

The ball snapped open, letting out the Pokémon Rockruff into the battlefield. Rockruff barked once as soon as he touched the battlefield, its tail waving in anticipation.

Selene looked at the new Pokémon with awe. "Wow! It's so cute!"

Kukui smirked and Rockruff waived its tail happily at the compliment. "It sure is!" Kukui commented.

"Let me show you my Pokémon, too! Rattata, I choose you!" Jimmy shouted, throwing the ball onto the battlefield.

The pokeball bounced twice before snapping open, letting out an Alolan Rattata on the field.

Selene looked at the Rattata with surprise. "What?! Is that a Rattata?!" Luna asked herself with shock.

"Hey, cousin!" Kukui called out, earning her attention. "You see that Rattata? That is an Alolan Rattata! It's different from the ones you see in Kantho, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it definitely is." Luna replied.

"This Rattata is not only a Normal type, is also a Dark type as well!" Kukui explained.

"For real?" Luna asked, again, being impressed by the new information.

"Yep! So, what do you think? Is my Rattata cute, too?" Jimmy asked, excited to find out about the girl's answer.

"O-Oh! Well… I wouldn't call it cute. But it looks cool, I guess…" Selene replied, whispering that one last part so the youngster couldn't hear it.

"Really? You heard that, Rattata? She thinks you're cool!" Jimmy said happily.

Rattata got happy because its trainer was happy.

"Alright! It's time for you to show me your moves, yeah!"

"I'll win this time! Just you see!" Jimmy stated with confidence.

**Pokemon Professor Kukui and Rockruff VS. Youngster Jimmy and Rattata!**

"Alright, Rattata, let's start with a Tackle!"

Rattata nodded before lunging forward to attack.

"Let's use Tackle, too, Rockruff!" Kukui commanded energetically.

Rockruff ran forward to its opponent. Both Pokémon collided with each other in an exchange of Tackles. The two battling Pokémon bounced back due to the recoil.

"Don't let them recover, Rattata! Use Quick Attack!" Jimmy encouraged.

Rattata quickly recovered and follow its trainer's orders as he sped towards Rockruff, leaving a white veil of light behind his track.

Rockruff was pushed away further than Rattata, having a bit of a struggle to recover from the impact.

"Rockruff, they are coming swiftly with Quick Attack! Dodge it and use Bite!"

Rockruff barked in agreement and patiently waited for Rattata to approach. And just before Rattata's move hit, Rockruff moved out of the way, staying close enough for the Bite to barely catch the tail of the speedy Pokémon.

Rattata screeched in surprise.

"Good job, Rockruff!" Kukui congratulated.

"No way!" Jimmy lamented. "Quick, get it off of you!"

Rattata struggled to free itself, but Rockruff had a tight grip on its tail.

"Oh come on! That's not fair!" Timmy lamented once again.

"That's it, don't let it go just yet! Rough it up a little bit, first!" Kukui ordered.

Rockruff barked through its teeth in agreement before starting to shake the Rattata back and forth. After a couple of seconds of this, Rattata was becoming dizzy.

"Great! Now throw it away!" Kukui commanded and Rockruff obeyed, letting go off the Rattata's tail as it threw it in its trainer's direction.

"Wow! I didn't know you could use Bite that way!" Selene exclaimed.

"Neither did I, cousin. You just have to think outside the box every now and then, y'know?" Kukui responded.

"Hey, Rattata, are you okay?" Jimmy asked with worry.

Rattata rose to its feet slowly, shook his head and let out an affirmative cry.

"Alright, then let's get serious! Use Focus Energy!" Jimmy commanded.

Rattata obeyed and used the move, focusing all of its energy around its body, getting surrounded by a weak white aura as a result.

"Great job! Now go and use Bite!" Jimmy ordered, and Rattata obeyed.

The little rat Pokémon lunged forward once again as it prepared the attack.

"They used Focus Energy, yeah? Their attacks might hurt if they connect. Don't let them get any closer, Rockruff! Use Rock Throw!"

Rockruff nodded and prepared the attack. Little fragments of rock started to generate around its tail. The little rocks were thrown in Rattata's direction as soon as they were completed.

Rattata kept running towards the attacking Rockruff as the rocks were quickly approaching it, and then, it heard a new command from its trainer.

"Quick, Rattata! Dodge them all with Quick Attack!" Jimmy shouted.

Rattata obeyed and proceeded to dodge every projectile thanks to the speed that the move granted it with. In the blink of an eye, Rattata was in front of Rockruff.

Rockruff stared at Rattata with clear surprise in its face.

"Now's our chance! Attack with Bite!" Jimmy shouted with excitement.

"Watch out, Rockruff!" Kukui exclaimed, but it was too late.

Rattata's Bite connected on one of Rockruff's front paw.

Rockruff cried out in pain as it tried to get its opponent off.

"Nice job, Rattata!" Jimmy congratulated its partner.

Rockruff kept struggling, unable to free itself from the Bite from Rattata.

"Grr… That was some critical damage. What to do?" Kukui asked itself before an idea came to mind. "It might work. Alright, Rockruff! Bite Rattata back and don't let it go!"

Rockruff did as he was told and bit one of Rattata's front paws as well. Rattata cried out through its teeth.

"Nice! Now use Rock Throw!" Kukui commanded.

Rockruff prepared its move as Rattata saw how the attack slowly charged in front of it.

"What? No! Rattata, get out of there!" Jimmy shouted.

Rattata let go of Rockruff and tried to run, but Rockruff teeth wouldn't let go. Rattata pulled its paw over and over again, trying to get free.

Rockruff did its best to keep Rattata in place until the attack was finally ready.

"Now, Rockruff! Throw it up and use Rock Throw!" Kukui exclaimed with excitement.

Rockruff obeyed, flinging Rattata upwards and releasing the Rock Throw attack immediately after its opponent.

Rattata couldn't do anything as the rocks hit it, causing great damage.

"Rattata! NO!" Jimmy exclaimed with concern as his Pokémon partner landed roughly on the field after taking the attack. "Rattata, are you okay?"

Rattata tried to stood up again, but fell to the ground shortly after that.

**Rattata is unable to battle! Rockruff wins!**

"Aww man!" Jimmy lamented as he retrieved Rattata back into its pokeball. "Nice job, Rattata. Take a break."

"Woo! What a battle that was!" Kukui approached Rockruff, kneeling to his partner's side. "You did great, Rockruff! Thanks!" He congratulated while petting its head.

Rockruff barked contently before Kukui withdrew it back in its ball.

"You also did great!" Kukui told to Jimmy.

"What? But I lost…" Jimmy stated with a defeated look.

"Hey, it's not about winning. It's about having fun and grow together with our Pokémon partner! Rattata has grown so much stronger since last time! That makes you a good trainer!"

Jimmy looked up at him. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do! In fact, here, let me give you a Helping Hand!" Kukui handed over a pair of Black Glasses to the young trainer. "If you give these to Rattata, the power of its dark moves will go up, yeah!"

"Really? Thanks Mr. Professor!" Jimmy thanked him with joy.

"No problem, just keep it up! You're doing great!"

"Thanks! I'll do just that! See ya later!" The youngster waved goodbye before running off. Probably to tell his mother about the battle and the gift from the professor.

Kukui waved goodbye to the kid as he left while Selene walked right back to his side. "Oh, cousin, didn't see ya there. So, what do you think about our battle?"

"It was really cool! Especially you! I've never seen someone using moves that way before!" Selene exclaimed with excitement.

Kukui smirked. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, how about if we keep on going, yeah? Iki Town is just a bit far ahead. And we don't want to keep old Hala waiting, do we?"

"Of course not." Selene replied immediately as they both started to walk again while talking about battling and Pokémon moves.

Needless to say, that trip was filled with Pokémon moves puns from Kukui.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. I choose you

**I choose you.**

"And here we are, welcome to Iki Town, cousin!" Kukui stated as he opened his arms in a theatrical way upon their arrival. "So, what do you think?"

Selene looked around the small town, taking in the welcoming surroundings and the friendly faces of the townsfolk. "It looks nice."

"It is nice. Everyone here is always friendly and willing to help others. So you are free to feel at home, cousin." Kukui replied. "Now let's go and look around for Hala. He must be around here." He suggested.

Selene nodded and they were both on their way again.

Some of the people around recognized Kukui and started greeting him.

"Hello, professor! Nice to see you around here!"

"It's nice to be here!" Kukui replied while waving back.

"Oh, look, it's Kukui! Alola!"

"Alola to you, too!" The professor greeted as well.

"Oh, if it isn't Kukui! Tell me, how is little Rockruff doing?" An elderly woman asked the Pokémon professor.

"Alola! Rockruff is doing fine, in fact… "Kukui retrieved a poke ball from his lab coat and let the Pokémon out.

Rockruff came out and waved its tail happily as it recognized the nice old lady.

The old lady bent down and started to pet it. "Awww, look at you! You've grown so much since last time!" The lady commented gleefully.

"We… came here yesterday…" Kukui told in a hesitant way before deciding to not correct the lady. "Anyway, would you mind taking an eye on him while I go talk to Hala?"

"Of course not. It's always a pleasure to take care of this little one." The lady said with joy.

Rockruff barked happily.

"Good, then I'll be on my way. Rockruff behave youself with this lady."

Rockruff barked while nodding.

"Come, Rockruff. I'll give you some of those treats you like so much!" The woman said as she gestures Rockruff to follow her.

The eyes of the little rock Pokemon started sparkling as he followed the old lady to her house.

"Heh, I hope he doesn't eat too much." Kukui told to Selene while scratching the back of his head.

"Everyone here seem to like you very much." Selene stated, a little amazed by the Professor's popularity.

"This is just how the people of Alola behave. We just see everyone as part of our big family." Kukui explained.

"That's really cool!" Selene exclaimed, then, something in the middle of the town called her attention. "Hey, professor, what is that?" She asked while pointing at the thing of her interest.

"Huh? Oh, that's a battlefield! It's there for the festivals we make for our Pokémon Deity." Kukui explained.

"What? The Pokémon deity?"

"Yeah, I told you about it back at your house. Do you remember its name?" Kukui asked just like a teacher would ask his student on a test.

A test Selene hadn't study for.

"Umm… I think I do… Was it, umm… Something like, Tape… Coconut?" Selene stuttered out.

Kukui stayed silent before letting out a laugh. "Nice one, cousin! You had it ALMOST right, though! The name you're looking for is Tapu Koko." Kukui clarified.

"Oh no! S-Should I apologize to him?! To Tapu Koko?!" Selene exclaimed flustered, obviously not wanting to upset the Deity of Melemele.

"Don't worry about it, cousin. I'm sure Tapu Koko wouldn't mind." Kukui said reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Selene asked, still concern.

"Of course! Heck, an Aerial Ace will miss before Tapu Koko gets mad over this!" He then laughed at his own joke.

What the two didn't know was that Tapu Koko, the Deity Guardian in the flesh, was around the area. It had stopped to take a look at Iki Town.

It heard the whole thing.

But, just like Kukui said, the guardian didn't really mind, nor care, about this fact.

However, the deity looked at Selene with curious eyes. It looked at her for some seconds before flying off.

...

After some time of looking around, Kukui and Selene were not able to find Hala.

"Hmm… I don't see Hala anywhere around here." Kukui asid, still looking around in hopes to spot his old friend.

"What should we do now?" Selene asked.

"Let's split. We can look for him better that way."

"W-What? But I don't even know who he is! Or how does he look like!" Selene exclaimed with understandable concern.

"Don't worry, he looks just like a Kahuna! You can't miss him! Anyway, I'll go ahead and check around some more, yeah? Why don't you go and take a look on Mahalo Trail?" Kukui suggested.

"Mahalo Trail? Where is that?"

"Is that way." Kukui pointed at the middle of the town, where a path leading somewhere else was visible. "That is Mahalo Trail. It leads to the Ruins of Conflict, but there is no need to go that far." Kukui instructed before asking. "So, cousin, can I count on you?"

"Umm… Yes, sure." Selene agrees hesitantly.

"Yeah, that's the spirit! Now, remember, just check the trail. Come back if you don't find him. I'm not sure if you are allowed to be in the Ruins just yet."

"Alright…" Selene agreed before Kukui waved and walked into the Town once again.

Selene walked to the entrance of the trail, took a deep breath and walked forward.

…

"Pew!"

"Wait a little longer, were almost there! Just wait a little bit more."

"Pew!"

…

Selene walked along the surprisingly calm trail. She imagined it to be way scarier, since it was the way that lead to a place called "The Ruins of Conflict."

She was walking through, looking around for anyone who "looked like a Kahuna" while calling out "Umm… Mr. Kahuna, are you here?" every now and then.

She kept walking on the trail for some time before she reached what seemed to be the end of it. There, standing at the very end, she spotted a girl with blonde hair, who seemed to be struggling with her own bag. The bag was struggling against her owner like crazy.

"No, please wait!" The girl exclaimed before running ahead.

Curious by this… peculiar girl, Selene decided to follow. She arrived just in time to see what was going on.

The blonde girl was running straight for a bridge at the end of the way, but before she could reach it, the bag popped open, letting out a little Pokémon that Selene had never seen before. It looked like it was made of gas, but the sparkles and the purple coloration of the creature reminded her of the night sky.

The little creature floated all the way to the middle of the unstable looking bridge, looking happily ahead before a bunch of wild Spearrow went straight at it, ready to attack.

"N-No! Nebby, come back!" The blonde girl shouted with concern, but the Spearrow didn't let their little prey a chance to escape, as they quickly surrounded it. The little Pokemon was now scared, making itself as little as possible in the middle of the bridge.

Selene noticed that the other girl is visibly shaking and probably couldn't move due to the same reason.

Something inside her motivated her to move forward, running towards the bridge, passing by the girl's side and stepping into it, ready to go and save this girl's Pokémon!

Or… at least that's what she thought…

She ran a little ahead before the bridge violently shook, making her lose her balance, almost making her fall, barely managing to catch herself by taking a grip of the railing.

Now she was the one trembling.

"Oh no! Are you alright?" The girl asked with concern and worry in her voice.

"Y-Yeah. D-D-Don't worry, I've got this…" Selene stated as she slowly made her way forward.

"What are you doing?" The girl called out.

"I'm trying to help you save your Pokémon." She replied, stuttering slightly.

"B… But… Please… Please save Nebby!" The girl exclaimed with more concern.

Selene looked back and nodded, trying to give her a reassuring smile, but failing completely due to her nerves. Despite this, she kept moving forward, walking as fast as she could towards the creature called Nebby.

The bridge shook a lot, since the Spearrow were making too much of a commotion, forcing Selene to stop every time the bridge shook too violently.

At one point, some of the Spearrow noticed Selene making her way towards them and proceeded to attack her as well.

Selene screamed as the Spearrow attacked her, shielding her face with her arms, but since some of the wild Pokemon were attacking her now, she noticed that they left an empty space between her and Nebby. She took this chance to dive in and take the little Pokemon on her arms.

Nebby was surprised, but was also glad to not being pecked and scratched anymore.

Selene then stood up and made a run for it, the Spearrow chased after her, the bridge shook violently from the sudden action of the girl and the Pokémon. This time, Selene did lose her balance and fell, she did manage to not hurt the little Pokémon as she did.

The blonde girl gasped with fear as she saw the large group of Spearrow going down on Selene.

Selene quickly got on her knees to stand up, but the unstable bridge didn't allow it. She just got into a position that acted as a shell to protect Nebby.

The blonde one wanted to rush and help, but her fear was too overwhelming.

Selene just took the hits of the Spearrows who were showing no mercy.

Just before the group of attacking Pokémon could attack again, Nebby charged energy on its body and released it, causing an explosion that scared away the birds and destroyed the bridge. Selene was somehow not hurt by the energy burst, but soon realized she was falling to the river below.

The blonde girl gasped again as she looks at this whole ordeal with a concerned look on her face.

The Spearrow flew above the destroyed bridge, watching down as the girl and the strange Pokemon fell. From above, they heard a familiar cry, they looked up and spotted Tapu Koko, flying downwards.

The Spearrow got scared and tried to fly away, but the deity was faster and flew past and between them, knocking them all aside without stopping its dive.

Selene and Nebby were about to hit some rocks above the water of the river, scared like never before. But Tapu Koko managed to catch them both in time and quickly flew back up the cliff.

The blonde girl was taken aback when she saw the guardian deity landing just in front of her and leaving Selene and Nebby in the ground.

The guardian flew away, landing just a few distance in front of the group.

It looked at Selene with curious eyes once again.

Selene looked at it, amazed by the new and unknown Pokémon that just saved her.

Tapu Koko let out what seemed to be a parting cry before flying off, leaving them alone.

The blonde girl quickly snapped out of it and turned in Selene's direction. "Oh my Arceus! Are you alright?! I'm so sorry! I-I-I was just so scared! I-I-I'm sorry!"

"Was… Was that… Tapu Koko…?" Selene asked breathlessly.

"Uh? Y-Yes… I think…"

"…Wow."

"Sooo, you are alright?"

"Yeah… I think so…"

"Are you sure?"

Selene just nodded her head slightly.

Nebby floated out of Selene's arms and went back to the other girl.

"Nebby! Are you alright?" The girl asked with obvious worry.

Nebby cried affirmatively while giving her a smile.

"I'm so glad! Don't scare me like that again!" The girl said with relieve as it held the Pokémon close to her. "Thank you for saving Nebby! How may I repay you?"

"No… No, it's okay…" Selene said as it slowly raised back to her feet. "Have you seen… Um… The Kahuna?"

"Umm… No?" The girl replied, confused by the girl's behavior.

"Oh… Then I guess I'll go back… With the professor." Selene started to walk away, but then her legs gave out, making her fall to the ground.

The other girl gasped with surprise.

**Selene blacked out!**

…

Selene's eyes started to flutter open as she came out of her unconscious state. "Ughh…" She groaned as she woke up.

"Oh, cousin! Awake already?" The voice of Kukui called her attention.

She turned in his direction, only to find that she was in a place she's never been before. It looked like a comfy shack of some sort. She was laying on a pretty soft and big bed. "Professor? What happened? Where am I?" Selene asked, confused.

"Don't worry, you're fine. You are in old Hala's house." Kukui replied with the same chill attitude he always had.

"Wait, Hala? You mean the Kahuna?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I don't know if you remember, but we split to look for him. I came to his house and you went into Mahalo Trail. Anyways, when I came here, nobody was home, but I bumped on him as I was leaving. Then, my assistant came out of the trail and said: 'Help! P-Professor! Hala! Please! A girl just passed out on the trail!'" He said this while making his best impersonation of his assistant he could muster.

Selene looked at him, silently and impressed. As soon as Kukui talked that way, she remembered the blonde girl she encountered in there. She was impressed by how the professor had nailed the voice of the girl, which she now knew it was her assistant. "Oh, right! I remember her now! Is she and her Pokémon OK?"

"Yeah, they're all right! Don't worry!" Kukui said with a smile.

Selene sighed with relief.

"But anyways, we followed her, found you and brought you back here for you to rest, yeah!" He said, ending his story.

"Oh… Alright, thanks… But where is the Kahuna? You said this was his house." Selene asked confused.

"I'm right here!" Hala exclaimed with joy from beside the bed.

Selene looked at him and let out a startled scream as she hadn't even notice him standing there. She got so scared by this that she actually fell off the bed.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, young one." Hala apologized as he lend her a hand to help.

Selene took his hand with her own shaky one and he helped her up. "T-Thanks."

"We've heard what happened from Lillie. Are you hurt?" Hala asked politely.

"Huh… No, I'm fine. I… I actually don't remember much." She said while rubbing her head. "The last thing I remember is that I was walking on a bridge, trying to get to that girl's Pokémon, then the Spearrow attacked me. And that's all."

"Oh, so you don't remember falling off the bridge and being rescued by our Deity?" Hala asked curiously.

"W-WHAT?! I FELL OFF THE BRIDGE?!" Selene exclaimed with surprise. She started to feel like she was going to pass out again.

"Hey, relax, cousin! You're safe now! Tapu Koko saved you, didn't you hear?" Kukui exclaimed, trying to calm her down before she collapsed again.

"Wait. Tapu Koko? You mean the guardian you told me about?"

Kukui shot her a grin. "Yeah, I'm glad you remember it!"

"Really?" Selene asked.

"Yes, it did. Lillie told us all that happened. Tapu Koko flew out of the skies and saved you. He also left a gift for you behind." Hala clarified.

"A gift? What kind of gift?" Selene asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Unfortunately, it is not complete yet. But if you come back to our festival tomorrow in the afternoon, I can give it to you in all of its glory!" Hala said while shooting her a wide smile. "Speaking of gifts, Kukui here was just telling me that you just turned eleven years old, is that right?" The old Kahuna asked as he sat down on a nearby chair.

"Yes, I turned eleven just recently. Why do you ask?" Selene replied.

"Well, here in Alola, we have the tradition to give the young ones their first Pokemon if that's what they desire." Hala explained.

"But… didn't the profesor battle a little kid some hours ago?" Selene thought to herself, not daring to interrupt the Kahuna.

"We heard from your mother that you were planning on going on your own Pokémon journey back in your home region. So I decided to be the one to grant you your first Pokémon. And maybe, you'll want to embark on a journey here in Alola." Hala finished his explanation.

Selene's expression lit up upon hearing this. She could go into a Pokémon journey in the Alola region as well?!

"Isn't that great, cousin?" Kukui asked her with a smile.

"Yeah, it is!" Selene with obvious excitement.

"So, can I take that as a yes, young one?" Hala asked for confirmation.

"Yes, I would really want a Pokémon, please!" She replied with a smile.

Hala stood from his chair and put another wide smile on his face. "Excellent! Then come forth, my friends! There's someone here who wants to meet you!" Hala exclaimed with joy as he took three poke balls from his belt. He threw them up in the air.

Two of the circular devices snapped open at once, releasing the creatures inside.

A little seal-like Pokémon that greeted everyone in the room with a smile and clapping its fins together.

A little black cat that landed elegantly on its four paws and meowing as a way to greet them.

The last poke ball, however, just bounced slightly to the ground and proceeded to roll all the way to the other side of the room.

Everyone present looked at the rolling poke ball as this one only kept rolling. Finally, the ball lightly tapped a wall. This made the device to finally open, letting out the creature inside.

A little owl Pokémon that seemed to be asleep was released in the floor of the house. The creature only snored as a greeting.

Everyone looked at the Pokémon with blank stares, not knowing how to react, until they busted into laughter.

"Alright, I guess it's my turn to introduce you to these little ones!" Hala exclaimed, recovering from his laughing fit. Hala walked over to the little seal Pokémon, who looked at him excitedly. "This one right here is Popplio. She is a water type and likes to play and to make balloons with her little nose."

Popplio then clapped, made a big bubble with its nose and gave it to Hala.

"See, what did I told you?" Hala asked as he passed the balloon to Selene.

She received it, holding it in her hands before it popped, slightly splashing her with water. But before anyone could worry, Selene giggled. "Thanks, Popplio. Nice to meet you!"

Popplio smiled at her and clapped contently.

Hala nodded content and moved along with the next Pokémon.

"This next one's name is Litten. He is a fire type and loves to battle more than anything. But he's also a very loyal Pokémon that won't leave your side." Hala explained.

Litten meowed in agreement as it made its way to Selene, petting himself against her while purring.

Selene then petted him back in the head. "Hello, Litten. I like you, too."

Hala then turned and walk to the last Pokemon. "And this fella right here is Rowlet. As you can see, he likes to sleep… A lot… Maybe a little too much. But, that's not the point! He is a grass type. He likes to relax and to bond with others! Rowlet, do you mind introducing yourself?" Hala asked the sleeping Pokemon.

Rowlet just snored in return.

"Maybe another time." Hala took the sleeping Pokemon with the other two, the three forming a perfect straight line.

Rowlet, somehow managing to stand on his own two feet despite being asleep.

"These are the three Pokémon you can choose to have as your first partner. Please, choose the one you like the best! Then, we'll see if the Pokémon chooses you as well!"

"W-What?! You mean that they can choose not to choose me?!" Selene asked with shock and surprise.

"Why, of course! The Pokémon also deserve a word in, don't you think?" Kukui said before adding. "But I wouldn't worry, these three seem to like you a lot!" Kukui said with a smile.

"Well, I guess it is fair." Selene admitted.

The two awake Pokémon cried in agreement.

Selene kneeled down to their level and went into a deep thought, looking between the three, giving each one some short glances every few seconds.

Finally, her eyes landed on one of them. With a shaky tone in her voice, she dared to ask:

"Would… Would you like being my Pokémon partner, Litten?"

Litten looked at her with surprise. In her eyes, the Pokémon could see that she really meant it. Litten's eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. He let out an excited meow before jumping into her arms.

Selene giggled as she caught him.

Popplio clapped, happy for her fire partner.

It was in this moment that Rowlet woke up and looked around. He then noticed that a girl was in front of him and had already chosen Litten as her partner. He was shocked, lamenting to be asleep all that time.

"Maybe next time, my friend." Hala comforted the upset Rowlet.

Rowlet let out a sad cry before going back to sleep.

Hala sighed. "Classic Rowlet." He thought.

Litten licked the face of his new trainer as she giggled.

"Mrwar!"

Another meowing from outside called their attention. A Meowth came running into the house while being chased down by a Rockruff.

The two Pokémon ran around the house for a while, knocking off some furniture and leaving a trail of dirt as they passed.

Kukui finally recognized the Rockruff as his own and stood in his way, between him and the Meowth.

The pup stopped right in his tracks as he saw Kukui's scolding look.

The Meowth jumped into Selene's arms, pushing the Litten slightly aside to make itself some space to hide.

Litten did not like this one bit. But before it could do anything about it, a woman came into the house, calling everyone's attention.

"Mom?!" Selene exclaimed in surprise.

"Selene! Are you alright?!" Her mother rushed towards her, checking her daughter up and down while looking for injuries.

"I'm okay, Mom… Wel,l at least I am now." Selene explained, remembering the fact that she almost fell from a bridge that exact day.

"Are you sure?" Her mother asked while still checking her daughter.

"Yes, mom. I'm sure." Selene said.

Her mother checked one last time. "Well… You do seem to be fine. Oh, what's this?" She asked upon spotting the new Pokémon on her daughter's arms.

Litten meowed happily in a greeting manner.

"Oh, right! Mom, this is Litten. He is my Pokémon partner." Selene said with a smile.

"Aww, look at him! He's so adorable! Don't you agree, Meowth?"

Meowth meowed in agreement as it slipped from Selene's arms and jumped down to its owner's side.

Everyone chuckled at the curious interaction.

Then, Selene dared to ask. "Umm… Mom?"

"Yes, dear? What is it?"

"Well… I don't want to sound rude… But what are you doing here?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story."

Just in that moment, the old lady from before walked into the house. "Excuse me, is little Rockruff hiding in here?"

"Yeah, he's here." Kukui said as he looked with a scolding glare at the pup.

Rockruff avoided eye contact with Kukui, not daring to look at his gaze.

"I think we have a little time for the story. You can tell it to us while we clean up this mess." Kukui commented.

"Great idea, I'll go and get the cleaning supplies." Hala said as he stood up with the sleeping Rowlet in arms, walking to another room of the house.

"Sweetie, would you mind helping them out, too?" Selene's mother asked her daughter.

"I do." That's what she was thinking. But her mouth only managed to say. "Sure, no problem."

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. Everybody loses a Pokémon battle

**Everybody loses a Pokémon battle.**

After Selene's mother told the story of how she got there, all the mess that Meowth and Rockruff had caused was already gone thanks to the efforts of Hala, Kukui, Selene and all the Pokémon present. Even Rowlet!

It turns out that Kukui called her from Iki Town, telling her what had happen at Mahalo Trail. With obvious concern, she ran out of her house to Iki town, Meowth following after her.

When she arrived, she asked an old lady who was around for the house of the Kahuna. But just as they were interacting, the Rockruff that was with the old lady noticed her Meowth and that was when the chase took place. The two Pokémon ran around the town until Meowth ran into one of the houses, which just so happened to be the correct one.

Kukui scolded Rockruff for leaving the old lady just like that, everyone laughed at the whole thing and when they noticed, it was already night time.

Realizing this, the old lady bid them Alola and went back to her home, not before giving another treat to Rockruff without Kukui noticing her.

Now, the rest of the group was walking to the exit of the town. Popplio and Rowlet back in their balls and Litten walking beside Selene, while avoiding contact with Meowth who was also walking by Litten's side.

"Well, I'm glad everything turned out okay in the end." Selene's mother said with relieve.

"You could say that again. Good thing Tapu Koko was right there in that moment to save her, yeah!" Kukui pitched in.

"Now that you mention it. We were planning on having a festival in the name of Tapu Koko tomorrow. I would like to invite you two." Hala commented with a smile.

"That sounds fantastic! Of course we will come! It's the least we can do after what it did, right, Selene?" Her mother asked.

"Yeah, of course will be here!" Selene said with excitement.

"I'm glad to hear it! Oh, one more thing, before I forget." Hala stated, but didn't had the chance to start his next sentence before a shout cut him off.

"Hey!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the shout. A boy with green hair was coming running straight at them with obvious enthusiasm in his expression.

He stopped right in front of Selene. "I see you have a Pokémon! Let's have a fight!" He said excitedly while jumping up and down. The smile never leaving his lips.

"Uh… Hello?" Selene stuttered out as she slightly backed away from the boy, who was standing way too close.

"Now, that is not the right way to greet or introduce yourself to someone, isn't it?" Hala stepped forward.

"Huh? Oh, right! Sorry!" The boy cleared his throat and proceeded to start over. "Alola! My name is Hau, and I'm a Pokémon Trainer!" He said while passing a hand in front of him as a greeting.

"Umm… Alola? My name is Selene. Nice to meet you." She greeted back, trying her best to mimic the actions of the boy.

"Nice to meet you, too! So, do you wanna battle?" He asked, going straight back to the point.

Hala chucked as he walked to the boy's side. "Sorry everyone, my grandson here can get a little excited sometimes."

"Oh, so this is your grandson? He's so upbeat!" Selene's mother pointed out.

"He sure is." Hala replied.

"Yeah, I sure am!" Hau said in response. "Now, how about we get in a Pokemon battle?"

"Uh… Well…" Selene tought. On one hand, it'll be really fun to have her first Pokémon battle right then and there. But she was too tired for all the crazy stuff that had happened that day. Not to mention she knew near nothing about Pokémon fights.

"Patience, Hau." Hala intervened, saving Selene the need to answer. "We were talking about tomorrow's festival just now. Maybe you'll get the chance to fight her there."

"Really? That's a great idea, yeah!" Kukui exclaimed with excitement.

"Excuse me, but what are you talking about?" Selene's mother asked with a curious tone.

"Allow me to enlighten you. In our festivals, we like to celebrate our Guardian Deity, Tapu Koko. We use the festivals to thank our deity with a tribute. We perform a Pokémon battle to please it. I was thinking, since your daughter just became a trainer, and my grandson is recently new as a trainer as well, they should battle in the festival. Only if she wants to, that is."

"Wow! That sounds really fun!" The mother said before turning to her daughter. "What do you say, dear? Would you like to battle tomorrow in their festival?"

"Yes! Of course I will fight in the festival!" Selene agreed with joy.

Litten meowed in agreement as well.

"That's good to hear! Then we'll be waiting for you two! For now, why don't you go back home and rest. You got on quite the ordeal today." Hala said with a smile.

"Yes, I'll do just that. Thanks!" Selene said politely.

Litten yawned loudly, making their point clear.

"I'm glad you'll come to the festival! They are always super fun!" Hau exclaimed with joy.

"Thanks for inviting us! We'll see you tomorrow!" Selene's mom thanked.

Kukui soon joined them. "Mind if I join you on your way back?"

"Of course not!" The woman replied before waving the others goodbye. "Alola!"

"Alola!" Hala and Hau waved back as they saw their new friends leaving for the day.

…

The door to the house opened, letting inside the owners.

"Phew… I'm exhausted…" Selene said as she went inside, following her, Litten and Meowth also came inside.

Litten was being cautious around Meowth who didn't stopped eyeing him.

Her mother was the last one to enter, staying at the door a little longer while biding Alola to Kukui. "Thanks again for today, Kukui!"

"No problem! Would you like me to come and pick up Selene tomorrow in the afternoon?" He asked politely.

"Thank you, that would be great!"

"Alright! Then I'll see you both tomorrow, yeah! Come on, Rockruff, let's go!"

Rockruff barked in agreement as it started to follow the professor.

Selene's mom closed the door, leaving the two alone outside and on their way.

"Hey, are you hungry, pal?" Kukui asked the pup.

Rockruff nodded his head with shining eyes.

"The let's go home. You can eat all you want while I talk you about manners again."

Rockruff suddenly got a guilty look on his canine face, looking like a child who had been caught misbehaving.

"Oh yeah, don't think I forgot about what just happened. Now, let's go." Kukui said as he walked.

Rockruff followed with low ears and tail.

…

After taking dinner and a shower, Selene was finally in her pajamas and ready to jump into her bed for a well needed night of sleep.

Selene yawned as she made her way to her bed. "Hello, bed… I missed you." She said to no one in particular while letting herself fall into it. She let out a long sigh and started to relax.

"Meoow!" Litten called out, taking her attention.

Selene sat up and looked at her new partner who was sitting at the foot of her bed. "Oh, that's right!" She exclaimed with realization. Then, she stood up and got a little cat bed out of one of the boxes. "Here, you can sleep in this. It's supposed to be Meowth's, but he never uses it."

Litten looked at the little bed with hesitation.

Selene giggled. "Oh, right. You don't seem to like Meowth very much, do you?"

Litten looked at her, nodding.

"Alright." And without a second thought, she pulled a smaller pillow from one of the boxes and placed it on the bed next to her own pillow. "Here. You can sleep here until I get you your own bed."

Litten nodded in understanding before jumping into the bed, sitting on the little pillow that his trainer gave him.

Selene pulled down the sheets, slidding under them before pulling them up again, making sure to give some to Litten. "Goodnight, Litten…" She yawned midsentence, finding herself to be barely able to fight off the drowsiness. "…Tomorrow we'll fight at the festival… And it'll be so much fun… and…" She finally fell asleep.

Litten shoot her a grateful smile before falling asleep as well.

…

Next morning, the sun came up, bathing the room of the sleeping new trainer with its light. The light slowly made its way to the bed. It climbed its way up, showering the sleeping trainer with light. Then, it finally reached her eyes… Erm… Or her cat?

The light reached Litten's eyes, who was sleeping on top of his trainer's face. Covering everything except her mouth. Feeling the light coming through his eyelids, Litten woke up and started to stretch for the day, his movements disturbed his trainer's dream, making her wake up as well.

"AAAAAH!" Selene let out a startled scream as she opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was her Litten.

The scream startled Litten who jumped off bed before Selene fell off it.

"Ugh… From how many more beds am I gonna fall off?" She asked herself with annoyance.

Litten meowed in confusion as he tilted his head to the side, wondering what she was mumbling to herself.

…

Later in the festival…

"Wow, everything looks so nice!" Selene's mom exclaimed, admiring the decorations and the spirit of the event.

"I'm glad you're liking it so far, yeah! How about you, cousin?" Kukui asked the girl beside him.

"I'm really liking it a lot!" Selene exclaimed. Then, someone in the festival caught her eye. A familiar blonde girl.

"Professor, welcome back." The blonde girl from yesterday greeted as she walked over them.

"Alola, Lillie! Look, she's Selene! She's the girl that helped you out yesterday, yeah!" Kukui explained as he turned to Selene. "Cousin, this is my assistant, Lillie."

"A-Alola. It is nice to meet you! T-Thank you for your help. And I'm sorry for all the danger I put you into!" She apologized, bowing down, not daring to meet their eyes.

"U-Uh, don't worry about it… Everything turned out fine, right? How is your Pokemon doing? Where is it?" Selene asked, trying her hardest to take the attention off of her.

"Pew!" The unmistakable growl of said Pokémon was heard from the inside of the girl's bag. The bag shaking a little as a result of the Pokémon inside.

"Oh… So there it is." Selene noted.

"Y-Yes. Nebby's fine. All thanks to you."

"Well, that's curious. Why is your Pokémon in the bag and not in its poke ball?" Selene's mom asked.

"W-Well…" Lillie tried to come up with a believable excuse for some seconds, and couldn't. "It's complicated…"

"Well, I'm sure everyone has their reasons. It's nice to meet you, I'm Selene's mother, and I'm glad to see you and your Pokémon are fine!" Selene's mom said while shooting her a smile.

"Nice to meet you, too! Thanks for your kind words." Lillie said, giving her a nervous smile back.

"Umm, Professor?" Selene asked the shitless man.

"What's up, cousin?"

"When is the battle going to start?"

Just on cue, Hala called out for her. "Ah, Selene! We've been waiting for you!" He said as he made his way to the group. "The preparations for have been finished. We're ready to start when you're also ready." He informed with an expectant smile.

"Huh, then I guess I'm ready."

"Excellent! Then let us begin at once!" Hala replied in his same joyous tone.

…

The people and Pokémon from the festival were enjoying the event so far.

"Attention, my friends!" Hala called out with a loud voice, turning everyone's attention towards him. "The battle that will serve as tribute for our guardian deity, Tapu Koko, is about to begin!"

This caught the interest of the majority of the people, who started to approach the wooden battlefield where Hala was standing.

In that moment, Tapu Koko arrived at the place, looking directly at the field with expectation in a place hidden from everyone else's eyes.

"Now, let's present the participants of this fight. On my left, the brand new trainer who is also the grandson of the Kahuna, Hau!" Hala introduced his grandson, turning to his left to see him rise into the battlefield.

Hau did just that, quickly getting into position and ready to fight. All while wearing a smile.

"And on my left, another brand new trainer who is also new to the Alola region. She was saved and gifted with a treasure by Tapu Koko itself, Selene!"

Feeling all the eyes in the place into her, Selene shyly climbed up the stairs and got into her position.

Cheers and chattering were heard from both sides, making Selene more nervous and Hau more excited.

"I really didn't thought this through…" Selene mumbled to herself.

"Now, both combatants please send your Pokémon forward." Hala asked politely.

"Hey, Selene!" Hau called her from the opposite side of the battlefield. He retrieved his poke ball from his pocket. Then, he looked at her and said. "Good luck and have fun!"

Selene looked at him for a second before nodding her head and looking a little bit more confident… Just a little. "Thanks, you too."

Hau smiled and threw the poke ball high into the battlefield. "Go, Rowlet!"

The poke ball stayed in the air until it reached its highest point, snapping open and releasing the little owl creature.

Rowlet flew out of the ball, flipped midair and went back the way he had come from, snatching its own poke ball in the air and giving it back to Hau before landing in the field.

The cheers and applause from the people made it very clear how entertained they were in that moment.

Nice job, Rowlet! You nailed it!" Hau congratulated his Pokemon.

Rowlet turned his head 180 degrees to shoot his trainer a smile.

Selene looked at Rowlet and then at Hau. Then, she let out the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Alright… Let's go, Litten!" She threw the ball straight into the battlefield.

The ball bounced once before snapping open, letting out the little cat.

Litten meowed with energy and enthusiasm, ready for the upcoming fight.

Hala looked at both children, then nodded. "Both combatants are ready! Let this Pokémon battle begin!"

**Pokémon Trainer Selene and Litten VS. Pokémon Trainer Hau and Rowlet.**

"Quick, Rowlet! Let's start with Tackle!"

Rowlet nodded and flew onwards.

"Whoa!" Selene stuttered, taken aback by the speed of her rival. But she managed to quickly came back to her senses. "Litten! U-Use Tackle, too!" She sputtered.

Litten got a confused look on his face and turned to look at her. "Mrwar?"

"What? You don't know that move?" Selene asked.

Just in that moment, the opposing Rowlet's tackle connected, inflicting some damage to the Litten.

Despite having been caught off guard, Litten managed to endure the hit to minimize the recoil he suffered.

"Oh no! Are you okay, Litten?" Selene asked with concern.

Litten agreed with a meow.

"Yeah! That was a clean hit, Rowlet!" Hau exclaimed excitedly.

Rowlet let out a cry of agreement.

"Don't let them rest! Let's go with Peck!"

Rowlet flew up in the air and prepared the attack, accumulating energy in its beak, making it grow long and sharp while it shone white due the energy. Then it made its way to the opposing Litten.

"Here they come again! Litten, what moves do you know?" Selene asked with desperation before spotting the claws in Litten's paws. "You know Scratch?"

Litten agreed.

"Then let's attack with that!" Selene commanded.

In a similar fashion as Rowlet, Litten's claws accumulated energy, making the claws grow longer and sharper.

Not long before, Rowlet found itself inches away from its target.

Litten jumped and attacked with Scratch.

Rowlet dove down and attacked with Peck.

Both moves connected with their respective targets, knocking Litten back to the field and sending Rowlet flying back to Hau.

Litten's back hit the field, making him bounce before he managed to land on his paws again.

Rowlet recovered from the recoil and stopped his fall altogether by flapping his wings, regaining balance of his flight.

"Alright, that was awesome!" Hau complimented.

Rowlet let out a cry that seemed to be complimentary as well.

Selene, bowed down a little bit. "You're OK, Litten?"

Litten meowed positively.

"That's good. Then let's use Scratch again!" Selene suggested.

Without a second thought, Litten rushed towards Rowlet, the attack charging in the way.

"Rowlet, use Leafage! Don't let them come any closer!" Hau commanded.

Rowlet's wings started to glow green. The owl Pokemon crossed his wings over his body and then opened them back up, releasing three orbs of leaves that were surrounded by the same green energy.

Litten saw this coming, instinctively, he stopped his charge towards Rowlet and attacked back by spitting a little and weak ball of fire. The fur of his back rising up and heating up as he did.

The Fire type move reached Rowlet's attack, both attacks causing a little explosion as they collided.

Selene recognized the move Litten just used and exclaimed with surprise. "What?! You know Ember already?!"

Litten turned to her and nodded with a smile.

"That's great!" Selene exclaimed with joy.

Meanwhile Rowlet was back by its trainer's side.

"Phew! I didn't saw that one coming! Alright, let's try using Peck again!"

Once again, Rowlet's beak accumulated energy and he flew in a straight line towards Litten.

"They're coming back with Peck! Hit it with Ember!"

Litten obeyed and used Ember again, firing it directly at Rowlet.

Rowlet's eyes went wide when it realized it was going straight to fire attack.

"Dodge it, dodge it dodge it!" Hau shouted with panic.

Rowlet reacted in the last second, flying upwards and barely dodging the attack. The little owl sighed in relief.

Hau also sighed with relieve, only for the panic to come back when he noticed that the tail of its partner had caught a little bit of fire. "Rowlet! Your tail!"

Rowlet's expression of relieve changed to one of confusion. Then to one of panic as it also noticed the fire on the tip of its tail.

"They're distracted! Quick, use another Ember!" Selene commanded.

Litten agreed and shoot another Ember in Rowlet's direction.

This time, the attack hit straight on, knocking Rowlet off the air and hitting it super effective.

"Great job!" Selene congratulated her Pokemon.

Litten thanked with a meow.

"Rowlet! No!" Hau shouted, shocked by what just happened.

Rowlet reacted to its trainer's shout, reacting in time to barely manage to land on its two paws.

"Can you still go on, Rowlet?"

Rowlet cried in agreement.

"Alright, then I have an idea. Use Leafage and then Peck immediately after!"

Rowlet agreed, jumping back into the air and releasing Leafage in the opponent's way yet again.

"Alright, use Ember again to stop the attack." Selene asked.

Litten obeyed and used his Fire type move to counterattack the Grass type move.

Like last time, both moves collided and made a little explosion.

"Great job, Litten!" Selene congratulated.

Litten turned back and shoot her a grateful smile.

From the smoke of the explosion, Rowlet appeared. His beak already big and sharp.

"Watch out!" Selene shouted.

"Litten looked back on front, only to be received by the Peck.

The move managed to be so low that it hit Litten from bellow, sending him flying upwards.

"Litten!" Selene shouted with concern.

"Now, Rowlet! Let's finish this up with Leafage!" Hau exclaimed in a pumped state.

Rowlet, being just as pumped, attacked like Hau told, releasing its grass move towards the defenseless cat.

"No! Litten, dodge it!" Selene shouted.

But it was too late to do anything else.

The move hit Litten with its full power, causing a little explosion of smoke.

Litten fell off of the cloud of smoke.

Selene moved forward and managed to catch him on time. "Got you! Are you alright, Litten?" She asked, receiving no response. She then looked at him more closely.

Hala approached at her and then confirmed it.

**Litten is unable to battle! Rowlet wins!**

The crowd cheered for the winner, celebrating Hau's victory.

"Yeah! We won! Rowlet, c'mere!" Hau exclaimed with joy, opening his arms, welcoming his Pokemon into a hug which the owl creature gladly accepted.

Litten opened his eyes, waking up in Selene's arms, looking around.

"Oh, Litten! Are you alright?" She asked with worry.

Litten nodded with an apologetic look on his eyes.

"That's a relief. Do you wanna rest?" Selene asked her Pokemon.

Litten nodded again.

"Alright." Selene took out her poke ball. "Thanks for your help, you did great, Litten." She thanked before retrieving the tired kitten into the poke ball. She then sighed, a little sad for losing.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, startling her a little.

It was Kukui, who had climbed up the stage.

"You look upset, cousin." Kukui pointed out.

"Wha- Oh! No, I'm not! I'm fine!" Selene sputtered out nervously.

"Hey, don't sweat it, cousin. Everybody loses a Pokemon battle! It's normal. Specially for new trainers like you."

"It's just like my friend says." Hala said as he walked over to them with Hau and Rowlet following beside him. "You are young and new to this. You will grow stronger and experienced with time, you'll see."

"Not to mention, that you were really cool to be your first Pokémon battle!" Hau chimed in with a smile.

"Indeed." Hala agreed. "You two battled incredibly well today. I'm sure it was enough to please Tapu Koko!"

Tapu Koko let out a cry of agreement, delighting everyone with its unseen presence.

"Ho, and there it is! Tapu Koko's song of approval! It looks like what I say was correct!" He said while smiling at the two children.

Hau's face lit up. "Does that mean I am strong enough to take into the Island Challenge?" Hau asked with excitement, jumping up and down with pure glee.

Hala nodded. "It certainly does!"

"The Island Challenge?" Selene asked with confusion.

"Ah, yes. Do you remember what I told you last night before giving you your Pokemon?" He asked.

Selene thought for a moment, shaking her head in defeat when she couldn't recall it. "No, I'm sorry…"

"No, it is quite alright. No need to apologize." Hala reassured her before resuming his explanation. "Last night, I asked you to pick one of three Pokemon. That way, you would be able to get into a journey of your own, here in Alola."

"Ah, I remember now! So that journey you told me about, is that the Challenge of the Island?" Selene asked.

"Umm… Yes. That is the Island Challenge." Hala confirmed.

"But how does it works? I've heard there are no Gyms in the Alola region." Selene explained her doubts.

Then, Kukui lifted his hand, showing off four lifted fingers. "Four islands! Travel across the four main islands that form our dear region of Alola and clear all of the challenges that the island has to offer."

"Precisely." Hala confirmed as he reached for something inside his pocket. "Clear the challenges and earn the mighty power of the Z-Crystals!"

"Z-Crystals? What are those?" Selene asked, curiosity taking over her.

"Z-Crystals are the best!" Hau exclaimed. "When you use them, you get the chance to do a super powerful move!"

"What, really?"

"Yes. Just like my grandson said, Z-Crystals allow us to get access to a special type of moves called Z-moves. These are mightier and more powerful than any regular move. But in order to use a Z-Move, you need a Z-Crystal and a Z-Ring. Which brings us to this." He said, finally pulling out the item from his pocket and handing it to Selene.

Selene inspected the gift, it was some kind of bracelet.

"That one is a Z-Ring. And it's yours." This is how Hala finished his explanation.

"What? But I didn't win! Isn't this supposed to be for Hau?" She asked, not seeming herself worthy enough of the prize.

"What? Of course not! Tapu Koko gave this to you!" Hala exclaimed.

Selene, confused by the statement, could only mustered a simple: "Huh?"

"Yeah, don't you remember? I told you that Tapu Koko had left a gift behind for you! It was a Sparkling Stone, which I transformed into this Z-Ring you see right here." Hala said before adding. "So it's yours and yours alone."

"I… I don't know what to say." Selene admitted, being too grateful to organize her thoughts.

"You don't say anything, young one. Let's just enjoy the festival!" Hala exclaimed to everyone. They applauded and went back to enjoying the event.

The ones in the field walked down and joined the fun.

"Hey!" Hau called out to her. "Are you gonna do the Island Challenge, too? We could start it together!"

"I don't know if I am strong enough, yet." She admitted without any shame.

"Well, if you want to prepare beforehand, you could go to the Trainer's school to learn all you need!" Hau commented.

"There's a Trainer's school? That's exactly what I need! Sorry for asking, but could you please take me there tomorrow?"

"Of course! What are friends for?" He said casually while smiling at her.

She smiled back at him and nodded in understanding. "Right, thanks, Hau!"

And with that promise, the bond between this two friends sealed, starting a new friendship that will bring them both joy.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	4. First Impression

**First Impression.**

…Two months later…

"Alright everyone, that's it for this class! But before we go, I want to make sure you don't forget to bring an Antidote for the next session, understood?" The teacher of the Trainer's school asked her students.

Everyone replied by nodding their heads and saying at the same time. "Yes, Mrs. Chandy."

"Good, then you are free to go!"

Everyone stood from their seats, taking their belongings with them.

"Thank you for coming everyone! Have a nice weekend!" She waved them goodbye as they walked out of the classroom.

Soon, everyone had left. Everyone except for one student.

"Yes, Selene, how may I help you today? Are you planning on taking Captian's Illima trial again?" The teacher asked politely.

"Y-Yeah… I wanted some advice." Selene admitted as she walked towards her teacher.

"Of course. Just tell what troubles you." The teacher said as she gestured her to take a sit in front of her desk.

Selene took the offer and sat down while starting to describe her problem. "Well, it's about Captain Illima's Smeargle."

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well, it's just that it always seems to be stronger than my Litten. I've tried many times to defeat it, but it's only been getting harder for me to knock it out. What should I do to beat it?" She asked with pleading in her eyes.

"Well, it seems like your only solution is to keep training until you and Litten get strong enough." The teacher answered.

"Oh, okay… Thanks." Selene thanked with her head down.

The teacher looked at the mood of her student, took a deep breath and started her speech. "Look, Selene. I know you want to catch up with your friend Hau in the Island Challenge. But you are pushing your learning way too hard instead of letting it settle down. If you keep doing this, you might end up getting hurt."

"I'm not pushing myself too hard. I'm just trying to keep up with the rest of the class. I am the only one that hasn't won a single battle yet…"

"Your worth as a student or a trainer is not measured by how many victories you have. Your time will come eventually, trust me. The only thing you need to do is to keep growing alongside your Pokémon. Are we clear?" The miss asked in a patient tone.

Selene nodded her head silently, replying in a tone almost as low as a whisper with a plain. "Yes, miss."

"Keep training. One day, you'll know you're ready to face Illima again, dear. Now go, have a good weekend."

"Thanks. You too." Selene said, standing up from the chair and walking out of the classroom.

…

Selene was walking back home from school, looking down at the pavement. She let out a sigh. "Why am I so bad at being a Trainer?" She asked herself.

Suddenly, her poke ball snapped open, letting out her Litten.

Litten meowed in a greeting manner.

"Oh, Alola, Litten. Sorry if I woke you up from your nap."

Litten only yawned and rubbed his eyes with his paws just as Selene finished her sentence.

Selene giggled. "I guess that's a yes. So, sorry again."

Litten meowed affirmatively.

"Do you wanna walk home with me?"

Litten nodded, a smile forming in his face.

"Then let's go. We are almost there." She stated with confidence as she passed by the Pokémon center, already seeing her house from there. But then she stopped.

Litten stopped by her side.

She was staring at the Pokémon Center. "Hmm… Maybe I should buy the antidote now that I'm here." She said to herself before looking down at the kitten she had for a Pokémon.

"Hey, you don't mind if we make a quick stop in the Pokémon Center, right?"

Litten meowed, letting her know he didn't mind.

The two of them walked in, not noticing the two guys in black that were watching her the entire time.

…

The two walked out of the Center with their shopping, an Antidote and a Poke Bean for Litten and another one for Meowth. They started to walk back down the road.

Suddenly, one guy in black got in their way, blocking their path.

Litten hissed at this individual, preparing to jump into a fight to protect his trainer.

"Hey yo! Where do you think you're goin'?" The dude said in a tone that seemed a mixture of casual and angry.

"Erm… Who are you?" Selene asked, backing off a little bit.

"Hey, why are you leaving, yo? I'm as friendly as a Lillipup, yo!"

"My pal is right, yo!" Another guy said from behind her, startling her. "We just wanna ask for your Antidote, yo! We ain't got money and the nurse banned us from this place!"

"Yeah, you heard my pal, yo! Help us out and we'll leave you alone. Pretty good deal, right?" The guy said while walking towards her.

Litten jumped in front of his trainer and used Ember against the dude.

The guy barely managed to avoid the hit, getting a startled look on his face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Yo! Watch it! You don't wanna get in a fight with me, do ya?" He asked, trying to sound intimidating but failing spectacularly.

Litten angrily used Ember again, missing by mere inches.

"Fine! You asked for it! Go, Drowzee!" The guy shouted, sending out his Pokemon.

Drowzee came out of a Net Ball, ready to battle the opponent.

"Litten, what are you doing?" Selene asked with concern.

Litten looked back at her, giving her a look that she knew all too well. He wanted to battle.

Selene hesitantly gave her Pokémon a nod. "Alright…"

**Pokemon Trainer Selene and Litten VS. Team Skull Grunt and Drowzee.**

"Alright, Drowzee's a Psychic type, right? So we better start with Lick!" Selene examined.

Litten agreed and ran towards his foe.

"Drowzee, my man! Don't let 'em hit ya! Use Pound!"

Drowzee obeyed, and just before Litten could hit it, Drowzee stepped back, dodging the attack and then hitting Litten with Pound straight in the face.

Litten was knocked to the ground, but quickly stood up and jumped back at Drowzee, hitting it with Lick.

Drowzee backed off a little due to the heavy damage.

"Good job, Litten!" Selene congratulated.

"NO! Drowzee, you alright, yo?" The grunt asked his Pokemon with worry.

Drowzee nodded.

Suddenly, the other grunt appeared by his side, having snuck past the battle to go with his teammate. "Yo! Wacth out! She has a Z-Ring!"

"What?! For real?!" The scared grunt looked at the wrist of the girl and jumped in fear when he spotted the all too familiar shape of any Z-Ring. "Yikes! You're right!"

"Alright, Litten, let's attack with Lick again!" Selene said with confidence.

Litten jumped back into action.

"Look out! They're coming again!" The grunt informed his battling partner.

The other grunt yelped. "D-Drowzee! Disable!" He stuttered out.

Drowzee obeyed and shoot out white string of light.

The string managed to hit its target, wrapping itself around Litten's body. Then, the string gave him a little shock, preventing Litten from using Lick.

Litten looked confused at the string in his body.

"What's wrong, Litten?" Selene asked with worry.

Litten tried to use scratched the string a little, the string gave him another shock in reply.

"It… It worked!" The grunt celebrated before giving his next command. "Drowzee, they're distracted! Use Confusion!"

Drowzee obeyed and used the Psychic type move, enveloping Litten in a psychic energy, making him float in the air before he started to slam Litten into the floor.

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" The trainer cheered.

"Go, Drowzee, Drowzee, Drowzee!" The other grunt cheered as well, suddenly having pom-poms.

"LITTEN, NO!" Selene shouted, watching her partner being slammed into the floor. "Quick, use Ember!"

Litten reacted at her command, managing to aim for Drowzee while he was still lifted in midair. The Ember was quickly fired at the opponent.

Drowzee didn't reacted in time and got hit by the move, getting knocked over to its back.

Litten got free from the move and landed on his four paws without too much difficulty. But the damage from that last move had made too much damage.

"Can you keep it up, Litten?" Selene asked with worry, starting to get nervous.

Litten nodded while gritting his fangs.

"If we stay too far, Drowzee might catch us again with Confusion. So let's keep the fight up close! Go and use Scratch!"

Litten ran towards the Drowzee, ready to attack again.

"Yo, Drowzee, you alright? Again?" The trainer asked.

Drowzee sat up, shaking its head with a frown. Its expression changed from annoyed to scared when it spotted the foe Litten charging in towards them.

The grunt also noticed this, managing to sputter a command in the last second. "Use Hypnosis!"

Instinctevely, Drowzee performed the attack that its trainer ordered, shooting hypnotic waves at Litten.

Litten ran through the waves, growing sleepier with every step, before he finally fell asleep at Drowzee's feet.

Drowzee risked to open an eye.

"No! Litten, wake up!" Selene exclaimed with desperation.

"…Yo… Is that Litten… Asleep?" The trainer asked his partner.

They both looked at the sleeping kitten in front of Drowzee.

"I… I think it is?" His partner said.

All went silent for a moment. "YOOOO!" The two grunts cheered.

"Drowzee, finish the job! Use the strongest Pound you have!" The trainer exclaimed, totally pumped.

Drowzee, with too much excitement, obeyed the order. Closing its fist and hitting the slepping Litten in the face with the mightiest Pound it could muster.

Litten cried in pain as the attack impacted with him. He was sent flying right back to Selene due to the force of the attack, landing in the concrete at Selene's feet.

"Litten! Are you alright?!" Selene asked with concern, but Litten…

**Litten is unable to battle! Drowzee wins!**

"Wait, do we win?" The trainer asked incredulously.

"You did! You won, yo!" His partner exclaimed.

"What a nice change of pace!" The trainer exclaimed as they celebrated. Drowzee joined their celebration shortly after. "And here comes the MVP! Drowzee!" The trainer exclaimed with joy.

Meanwhile, Selene kneeled down, holding her defeated Pokemon in her arms, holding back her tears.

Then, the shadows of her three opponents loomed over her.

So, yo, we'll be takin' that Antidote!" The grunt of the Drowzee said.

"Yeah, and we want that Z-Ring, too!" The other one said.

"Drow-zeeee."

Then, Selene broke, letting the tears flow freely. "Take it!" She yelled as she threw the Antidote at them, hitting the trainer in the face with it. "And take this stupid thing, too!" She threw her Z-Ring at the other grunt, hitting him also in the face.

The repel and the Z-Ring fell from their faces, right into their hands.

They then shook their heads and came back to reality.

"Hey, yo! Look what you did! You made her cry!" The one that didn't battle exclaimed, pinning the blame on his partner.

"What?! No I didn't!" The trainer said, trying to protect himself.

"Sure you did! Look at her, she's all mad and-!" When he turned to look at her, he realized she was gone. "Hey, where is she?" Then, he spotted her running away from them. "Hey, yo, wait!" He shouted before running behind her.

"Hey, wait for me!" The trainer shouted, running behind them.

Selene kept running with her Litten in her arms, crying and not knowing where she was heading. She just wanted to be alone. Then, she tripped, falling down to the concrete.

But the fall never came.

She just seemed to be floating in midair.

"Good job, Drowzee! Now put her down!" The trainer grunt commanded.

Drowzee slowly put her down, back on her own feet.

"Yo! You alright?" The other one asked as he reached her.

"No! Leave me alone!" Selene yelled as she tried to run away again, but the grunt got in her way.

"Wait, yo! We didn't mean to make you all mad, yo!" He apologized.

Then, his partner, the trainer, reached them. "Yo, why are you apologizing? We are from Team Skull! We take what we want and never give it back!"

"I know, bro. But still, it feels bad making a girl cry, ya feel me?"

"I know what ya mean. But what will the Boss say if he sees us like this?"

"He will probably beat us up without saying a word, yo!"

"Yo! You think?"

"I do, alright! But the boss ain't around here right now, is he?"

"Well…" the trainer grunt looked around, not spotting anyone else from Team Skull other than themselves. "I guess you're right, yo." He turned to his partner, only to find him apologizing to the girl already. "I can't believe you…"

Selene just stared at him with eyes filled with tears and confusion.

"Yo, I'm sorry if my bro upset ya. Look, we only need the Antidote 'cause my Zubat had a nasty encounter with a Salandit, yo. But we don't need the Z-Ring. When I say that, I was just messing around, yo." He apologized while returning the Z-Ring.

"Keep it. I don't want it anymore!" She said while knocking the Z-Ring out of his hand.

"WHAT?!" The two grunts exclaimed in unison.

"Hey, not that I'm complaining or anything, I'll take a Z-Ring any day of the year! But why wouldn't anyone?" The trainer thug asked.

"I just don't want it! I wanted it to make my Island Challenge! But I just keep losing to the same Pokémon every time! I'm not getting any stronger!" Selene exclaimed, frustrated.

"Yeah, I know the feeling, yo. You give everything you've got but fail anyways." The trainer said, crossing his arms and looking deep in thought.

"Yeah… It sucks to lose and have to fake a smile." Selene added.

"I know, right!" The other grunt exclaimed, then, an idea popped in his head. "Yo, you should join us!"

"Huh?" Selene and the other trainer asked with surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Selene asked.

"Yo, we're from Team Skull! The badest and strongest team around!" The grunt said with pride.

"Team Skull? So are you like Team Rocket from Kanto?" Selene asked.

"What? No!" The other grunt exclaimed with an insulated tone. "Team Rocket is really lame! They can't step up to our game!"

"Why are you speaking with rhymes all of a sudden?" The girl asked with confusion.

"Never mind that!" The grunt said. "What matters is that we are the strongest in these islands! And all thanks to our boss, Guzma!"

"Guzma?"

"Yeah! Our boss is the strongest trainer of all Alola, ya hear me? He's so strong that when he asked to become a Captain, they told him no, cause nobody would be able to beat the Island Challenge if he did!" The other grunt explained.

"Really?" Selene asked with surprise.

"Really! I promise it by my pinky!" He replied.

"Wow! I would really like to meet him! Maybe he could train me?" Selene wondered.

"Of course he would! He has trained every member of Team Skull! And since you're like us, we'll take you with him!" The other guy said.

"Really? Would you do that for me?" Selene asked with renewed hope and shining eyes.

"You got it, yo!" The grunt that made the offer agreed.

"Thank you so much!" Selene thanked, bowing down in appreciation. "When could you take me to meet him?"

…

"Guys... I'm not so sure about this..." Selene said with concern, looking nervously to her surroundings. Just managing to see the endless mess of the abandoned mansion of Po Town.

When she asked to be taken to meet the strongest Pokémon trainer of Alola, she was not expecting for them to take her immediately. So, after telling her mom that she was going to "get special training" and a short ride in the Skull Boat, they arrived to Ula'ula and then Po Town.

She was now waiting outside of the room of Guzma. The boss of Team Skull. The badest of them all.

"What's the matter, yo? Scared?" Drowzee's trainer asked teasingly.

"N-No, of course not." Selene said while shaking her head. But inside, she wished to have Litten out of his Pokeball to give her support.

"Don't worry, yo! Our boss may look like what destruction in human form would look like. But in reality... Wait, scratch that. He is exactly that! That's why he's the boss!" The other grunt said.

Selene gulped nervously.

They waited for some more tense seconds before Selene started to get uneasy.

"Y-You know what? We should go and come back some other day. M-Maybe he's busy." She sputtered out, trying to get out of the creepy and lonely place. She turned started to take steps back, trying to leave.

But the door finally opened, stopping her in her tracks.

"The hated boss who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up… Yeah. Big bad Guzma is here." Guzma greeted as he walked outside alongside two of his grunts.

Selene stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot." Guzma commented while rolling his eyes without getting the smirk off his face. "So, these boneheads are tellin' me you want to join Team Skull. Did I get that right?"

Selene stared at him for another second before hesitantly nodding her head. "I… I really want to get stronger… but the Island Challenge is not working. I just keep losing… They told me you could help me." Selene admitted with honesty while gesturing to the grunts to her sides.

"Heh, I know what you mean, kid. Truth is, the Island Challenge is rotten." Guzma expressed, catching Selene's attention immediately. "The Kahunas only use it to separate weak trainers from strong ones. And if you happen to be with the weaklings, they'll just throw you aside to focus on the stronger trainers. In other words, the rich get richer."

Selene stayed in silence, unsure of what to say about that. She was having trouble processing that, since she had asked Hala for help multiple times, and he had helped her every single one of them.

Not to mention that she was very good friends with Hau.

"Hey, kid. I'm talking to you." Guzma got her out of her little train of thought.

"H-Huh? Sorry!" She yelped.

"Tch, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't do it again." Guzma threatened.

Selene nodded nervously with her head.

"Good. Now, as I was saying. If you wanna be a part of the team, you'll have to earn it first." Guzma stated.

Selene got nervous all over again. "E-Earn it?"

"Hey, chill, it's nothing too crazy, kid. All you'll have to do is to be one of us for one week. Take it as your week of probation. If you can handle the way of Team Skull, then you get in." Guzma explained.

Selene gathered all the courage so she could to muster up her question. "A-And after t-that… Will I get to train…?"

"Yeah, sure thing." Guzma said while nodding his head.

"B-But what if I don't get any stronger with the training?" Selene asked, a little bit more confident.

That little bit of confidence she had melted away when she saw the scared reaction of all the grunts that were present in there.

"W-What? Did I say something wrong?" Selene asked with desperation.

"Are you underestimating me, kid?" Guzma asked with a firm and mildly mad tone in his voice.

"W-What? No, no, no, no, no! It's not that! I was just-!"

"Well, it sounded just like that." Guzma interrupted, looking at her, annoyed. "Tell you what. To ease all of your dumb doubts, I'll give ya a strength demonstration. Just for you."

"W-Well, I-"

"Excellent! I'm glad you took my offer!" Guzma said as he slided down the stairs stairs railing, landing without trouble at the end of the bottom of the stairs. "Hurry up! I don't have all day!" Guzma shouted.

"W-Wait! What are we going to do?" Selene asked with concern, already knowing the answer.

Guzma confirmed her suspicion. "Have a Pokémon battle, what else?"

…

Shortly after, Selene and Guzma were facing each other.

"This will be a 1v1. Since you don't seem to have any more Pokémon" Guzma stated with a rather annoyed tone. "Alright, you first, kid. Get out that wimpy Pokémon of yours."

Selene looked at her poke ball. "I trust in you." She whispered before throwing the it into the battlefield.

The ball snapped open before in midair, letting Litten out for the battle. Litten meowed, ready for battle.

Guzma chuckled. "That's all? Alright." He said as he retrieved a poke ball from his belt. "Go."

The ball opened abruptly, letting out the huge bug-like Pokémon out of in the field.

The field seemed to tremble as the Pokemon landed into the floor, looking at Litten with a menacing stare since the beginning.

Litten and Selene, mostly Litten, were startled by the presence of this massive Pokémon.

"Heh, you seemed surprised, kid." Guzma noticed. "This right here is Golisopod. He is a real though one, so buckle up."

Selene gulped.

**Pokémon Trainer Selene and Litten VS. Team Skull Boss Guzma and Golisopod.**

"A-Alright… Litten, use Ember!" Selene stuttered.

Litten meowed in agreement.

"First Impression." Guzma commanded.

Golisopod moved at lightning speed towards Litten, getting right in its face and striking at the Fire Pokémon before it could do anything.

Litten was sent flying straight into a wall, crashing against it and falling to the floor.

"Litten!" Selene shouted as she ran towards her partner. She picked him up and felt that familiar and unwelcomed feeling.

**Litten is unable to battle! Golisopod wins!**

She stayed there for a while before Guzma approached her.

"So, what do you say? Is that good enough for ya?" He asked with a satisfied grin.

Selene nodded her head without saying a word.

"Good. Now that that is sorted out, you can leave. If you want to take on my offer, come back tomorrow. I'll send these two boneheads to fetch ya." Guzma said while gesturing to the two grunts that brought her there in the first place.

The two of them nodded nervously as their boss looked in their direction.

"If you don't want my offer, then don't bother coming back, ya hear?" Guzma stated.

Once again, Selene nodded her head.

"Then get outta here." Guzma said before leaving to his room again.

"C'mon, yo. We'll take ya back to Melemele." One of the grunts offered as he gestured her to follow them.

Selene stood up, looked back at Guzma's door and then turned around, leaving the place alongside the grunts she had arrived with.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	5. Welcome to Team Skull, yo!

**Welcome to Team Skull, yo!**

"Good morning, class!" Mrs. Chandy greeted her class as she sat down in her desk.

The class greeted back at her with smiles in their faces.

She looked around, happy to see everyone. That was until she spotted an empty seat. "Huh, that's weird. Does anyone know where Selene is?"

…

The door cracked open as Selene, alongside the same two grunts from the day before, walked into the abandoned mansion of Po Town, wearing her new uniform… But not her Z-Ring. This one was hidden deep inside her new skull purse.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up." Guzma said with his usual grin.

Selene flinched at the call of her new boss.

"Now hurry up, I gotta tell you the basics before you begin." Guzma instructed and Selene obeyed, walking in his direction. "Now, here in Team Skull we only have one rule. Do anything you want without breaking the policy. What's the policy, you may ask?"

"What's the policy, boss!" One of the grunts asked, interrupting his boss.

"Shut it." Guzma warned.

The grunt yelped.

"The policy is, none! Just act like one of us!" He exclaimed before looking in the two grunts direction. "You two, she's gonna join your group." He instructed.

"Got it, boss!" The two said in unison.

Guzma was content with the answer. "These two are gonna keep an eye on ya. If there's trouble, do what they say, got it?"

"Y-Yes." Selene nodded while looking at her brand new partners.

"Then scram!" Guzma shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring the three out of the building. He laughed at the scene after they left the place.

…

"Sooo… What do we do now, guys?" Selene asked while following the two grunts around Ula'ula.

"Alright, yo, let's make some things clear!" The grunt with the Drowzee exclaimed, making Selene jump in surprise. "First of all, you gotta say 'yo' more! You are from Team Skull now and you gotta act like it! That's what boss man said!" He stated.

"Yo, chill out! She's new, give her a break!" The grunt of the Zubat pointed out, while trying to calm down the other grunt.

Selene nodded her head nervously. "Yeah, you don't need to shout at me! …Yo." She stuttered.

"That's more like it. Now, second, we do what we want. Didn't ya hear?" The angry one said.

"Alright… Then what do we want to do?" Selene asked with curiosity.

"The answer's obvious, yo! We're going to catch some more Pokémon for our squad!" The angry one, who seemed to have taken the role of leader of the group, stated.

"I don't know, yo. Pokémon here in Ula'ula are mad strong. How 'bout if we go to Melemele?" The other grunt asked.

"Nah, bro. Pokémon in Melemele are too weak. We will take ages in trainin' 'em. If we want strong Pokémon, Ula'ula's our best option!"

"Heck no! All Pokémon in here are gonna kick our behinds! We better caught 'em weak and start to grind!"

"No, Pokémon in Ula'ula are mad strong! Not catching some will be just plain wrong!"

The argument went on for some minutes, before Selene gather enough courage to intervene. "Hey, guy- I mean, yo."

The two grunts' attention was turned to her, making her nervous.

But not stopping her from asking the suggestion. "Wasn't there a place between Melemele and Ula'ula? Akala island, was it?"

The face of her partner lit up. "Yo, that's a cool idea! Akala has strong Pokémon that we can handle, yo!" He suggested to his partner.

The leader of the group analyzed the option. "I guess you're right, yo. Akala seems like the best way to start, especially with a rookie by our side."

"Then it's settled! Quick, to the Skull Boat!" The other grunt said enthusiastically before making his way to the boat.

Selene and the leader shared a confused look before following him.

…

"So, what do you wanna catch?" Selene asked as they walked through Route 8 of Akala Island.

"I wanna catch a Salandit, yo! It's a poison type that poisons other poison types. It's perfect for me!" The leader said before adding. "And what did I told ya about the yo, yo?!"

"O-Oh! Sorry, yo!" Selene apologized, feeling silly and weird for apologizing that way. "And what are you going to catch?" She asked to her other partner.

"Yo! I've heard there's a Pokémon that looks like a teddy bear! I wanna catch one!" The other grunt squealed with glee.

"Yo, that sounds lame." The leader said.

"No it's not! You are just jealous cause that Pokémon probably attracts more girls than you do!"

"Yo, that was a low blow!" The leader said with anger.

"It's true, yo! And when I catch one of 'em, all the girls will come to me!" The grunt exclaimed as he imagined himself surrounded by all kinds of girls thanks to the Pokémon he was talking about.

The leader gave him a firm smack in the head, knocking him off of his fantasy. "Stop it with the nonsense and focus, yo!"

Selene just watched the… peculiar interaction in silence. Not daring to step into that mess of a conversation.

Then, a rustle in the grass called their attention, the three of them looked in that direction and spotted a Salandit, walking out of the tall grass.

"Alright, look what I found!" The leader said as he retrieved his poke ball.

"Hey, no fair! I saw it first!" The other grunt complained as he also retrieved a poke ball.

"You already had a chance with a Salandit yesterday, yo! Now it's my turn!" The leader exclaimed, and just like that, another argument began.

The Salandit looked at them with a confused expression. Sitting there while eating a berry it had picked up from somewhere.

Selene also looked at them with a tired expression. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a Pokémon making its way down the road.

It was a Fomantis, just making its way back to Lush Jungle.

Selene looked at it, looked back at her partners and then back at the Fomantis. She decided to go after the Pokémon, leaving the two grunts to deal with their argument on their own.

Fomantis was oblivious of the situation, not even aware that Selene was now following from behind, looking at what it did.

A crack was suddenly heard, attracting the attention of the Fomantis, looking in Selene's direction.

Selene looked down at her feet, just realizing that she had stepped on a stick.

The Fomantis gets scared by her presence, getting on the defensive immediately by using Leafage against her.

Selene stepped aside, barely dodging the attack. "S-Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She apologized nervously.

But the Fomantis didn't low its guard, keeping an eye on the opponent in front.

Seeing the Fomantis' hostile behavior, Selene panicked. "What do I do now? What do I do?" She asked herself repeatedly until an idea popped up. She reached for her bag, looking for something inside of it.

This sudden movement made Fomantis more nervous. The Grass Pokémon started to charge its next attack.

Then, from her purse, Selene pulled out an Oran berry.

Fomantis looked at the berry with confusion.

"Here. Take it." Selene said as she kneeled and put the berry down, making it roll slightly towards the little Pokémon.

Fomantis watched carefully as the berry rolled at it, stopping some steps away the Pokémon.

The Pokémon took careful steps towards the berry. It picked it up, sniffed it a bit and took a little bite. Feeling the delicious flavor of the berry in its mouth, the Pokémon started to eat faster, practically devouring the whole thing.

Selene giggled. "You like it? Here, have some more." She said while putting another berry in the floor.

This time, Fomantis walked eagerly towards Selene, taking the berry and eating it immediately.

This continued until Selene ran out of Oran berries.

"Whoops, sorry, those were all the berries I had." She apologized.

Fomantis looked at her confused before taking a look inside the bag of the grunt.

"See? I have no more. But I'll bring you more next time, alright?" Selene asked.

Fomantis nodded its head vigorously.

"Goodbye." Selene said while waving goodbye with her hand.

Fomantis did its best to mimic the gesture, waving goodbye before walking back to Lush Jungle.

Selene stood back to her feet and walked back to the grunts.

In the distance, hidden from her sight, a blonde guy with black clothes had watched the whole interaction.

Back with the grunts, they were still discussing about who will catch the Salandit that was no longer there. Selene assumed that the poisonous Pokémon got bored and left. "Umm… Hey, guys…" She called them, interrupting their argument.

The two looked at her direction.

"What?!" The leader asked with a shout that made Selene jumped in surprise.

The other one, however, took the distraction as the perfect opportunity to catch the Salandit. He prepared to throw the poke ball, only to realize there was no target. "What?! Yo!"

"What do you want now?!" The leader asked with annoyance in his tone.

"The Salandit! It's gone!" The grunt said as he pointed in the direction where the Pokémon used to be.

The leader looked at his partner with astonishment before looking in the pointed direction. He let out a loud sigh. "Just to be clear, this was all your fault, yo…"

Selene held back a giggle.

…

"Look at you. You actually managed to hang on a week with these two boneheads!" Guzma congratulated in a sarcastic way.

"Soooo, does this mean I can train now?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"Hmph. I guess a deal is a deal, isn't it?" Guzma confirmed before turning his back at her. "We'll start your training tomorrow. Got it?"

She nodded with determination.

…

Selene opened the door of her house, stepping inside.

"Oh, hello there, dear! Tell me, how was your day?" Her mom greeted her with a smile. She was busy making the dinner, but gladly stopped for a moment to talk with her daughter.

"It was great! Guess what? The teacher said I was ready for battle training!" She exclaimed with excitement.

"That's fantastic, Selene! And how did the training go?" Her mother asked with curiosity.

"Well, the training actually begins tomorrow, but it's still so rad, yo!" Selene squealed that last part with obvious glee, covering her mouth when she realized what came out of it. "Heh… Sorry, I guess my friends are influencing me."

"It doesn't matter. As long as you're happy there, then I'm happy. Besides, you have friends in that new school! I remember your old teacher telling me you didn't have any in the old one!" Her mom stated.

"We don't need to talk about that." Selene said with clear embarrassment.

"Alright, whatever you say. Now, how about if you call Meowth and Litten, dinner's almost ready."

Selene nodded before walking to her mom's room. There she found Meowth, sleeping on her mom's bed. "Hey, it's time for dinner." Selene whispered close to the Pokemon's ear.

As soon as the word 'dinner' left her lips, Meowth woke up, immediately looking in the door direction, waiting to sniff the familiar smell of food. And sure enough, the sweet aroma came and Meowth followed it outside.

Selene walked back into the kitchen, following Meowth. "Litten, come out! It's dinner time!" She said enthusiastically while throwing the poke ball up in the air.

Litten came out, meowing with joy upon seeing his trainer again.

"Alright, Litten, listen. We'll be starting with our training tomorrow, so we better make sure to get lots of rest and be ready for whatever comes, got it?" Selene encouraged.

Litten meowed with enthusiasm as well, being just as pumped as his trainer.

So, they ate, they slept, and the next day…

…

Selene and Guzma stood outside of the abandoned mansion.

"So, let's start with yer training." Guzma said, not very interested. He reached for his poke ball on his belt and threw it upright, sending out Golisopod.

Selene and Litten stared at Golisopod with shock.

"We'll practice the strength of your attacks. Golisopod is a Bug and Water type Pokémon. He can resist the Fire attacks really well…" Guzma yawned, totally bored for playing the part of the teacher.

Selene frowned at this, feeling like a burden to Guzma.

"Also, since it's always raining in here, the fire attacks will do less damage. So yeah, the point is to do as much damage as possible… Even in this awful conditions..." Guzma finished the explanation. "So, let's start. The sooner we're over this, the better."

Selene nodded silently. "Alright, Litten, let's use Ember." She commanded.

Litten obeyed and used the fire attack.

The fire move traveled all the way to its target, hitting it straight in the face.

Golisopod did not even seemed to acknowledged the attack that hit it.

"What?!" Selene exclaimed with surprise.

Guzma, on the other hand, sighed. "This is gonna take a while… We better do a montage to blast through all of this."

…

Litten kept firing Ember after Ember, Golisopod just sat in the floor receiving the attacks with boredom. Litten growled angrily, charging up his next attack before firing it.

Golisopod received no damage, but Litten was launched backwards by the force of his own attack. Golisopod facepalmed at this while Selene went for her Pokémon.

…

Now, Litten was using Scratch multiple times on Golisopod's armored arm, not causing any knockback or recoil to the huge Pokemon.

Litten stopped to rest a little.

Golisopod hit the kitten with its arm, not too strong, but strong enough to knock him away.

…

Litten used Lick on Golisopod's same arm.

The huge Pokémon looked at the fire Pokemon with confusion.

Then, Litten licked again, managing to paralyze the huge Pokémon.

Golisopod tried to shake Litten off.

Selene arrived and took her Pokémon.

Guzma also arrived and looked at her with annoyance.

Selene smiled nervously under her handkerchief, giving Guzma a Paralyze Heal.

Guzma snatched it off her hand and applied it to Golisopod.

…

Back in the training, Litten charges at Golisopod, preparing to use Lick.

Golisopod braces itself for the attack, but instead of Lick, Litten ended up using Bite on Golisopod's arm. A brand new move for him.

Golisopod looked at the kitten and nodded.

Litten nodded back.

Selene smiled widely, looking that the training was being useful.

Guzma sighed, glad that this was not a huge waste of time.

…

The training was finished with the beginning of the afternoon.

"Well, that's everything for today. Finally…" He sighed, exhausted. "Golisopod, get back. You did good, I guess." He said to his Pokémon before retrieving it back inside the ball.

"You take a rest, too. You earned it." Selene congratulated as she retrieved her tired Pokémon into the poke ball.

"Well, seeya next week or whatever." Guzma said as he turned around to walk away.

"Wait, next week?" Selene asked with confusion.

"Yeah. You're not the only weakling I have to train, y'know? There are grunts who are way weaker than you."

"Oh, well, that's alright. Thanks for the heads up!" She thanked without not too much of her previous nervous behavior.

"My pleasure." Guzma stated with sarcasm in his tone. "Now scram. You still have quite a day ahead of you. Look for the usual grunts and do whatever you want." He said while walking away into the mansion.

Selene nodded silently before making her way out of the rainy Po Town.

…

"Yo, you done with the training?" The leader of Selene's group asked as she walked towards them.

"For today, yes." She replied as she set foot behind the Pokémon Center on Tapu Village, the usual meeting spot for them.

"Great! Now we can get to do stuff! The other one exclaimed with glee. "What should we do?"

"Why don't we go to Akala?" Selene suggested casually.

"Again? Why?" The leader asked, not really enthusiastic over the suggestion.

"Well, for starters, because you still want a Salandit?" Selene tried to guess while tilting her head to the side.

"And I still want my Stufful! That was its name, right?" The other grunt chimed in.

The leader, at the petition of the two of them, was left with no choice. "Fine! We'll go…"

Selene and the other grunt cheered in victory.

…

"Here again… Ugh…" The leader complained loudly.

"C'mon, yo! We better start looking for those Salandit before it gets dark!" The grunt encouraged while retrieving a poke ball already.

"Why is that, yo? Scared?" The leader asked with a malicious tone.

"W-Wha? No, no, no! I dunno what you're talking about!" The grunt exclaimed while looking away from his partner. Then, he spotted a Salandit. "Look! A Salandit! This is our chance!" He said nervously, trying to get the topic of the night off the way.

"Wait. 'Our' chance? You must be dreaming, that Salandit's all mine!" He exclaimed while taking the poke ball out, already sending out his Drowzee into the field.

"Hey, that's not fair! I saw it first!" The other grunt complained, not happy for this sudden turn of events.

The leader rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with this nonesense again. "Shut up! Coming here for me to catch a Salandit was your idea!" He shouted in his face.

"That ain't right! That was her idea!" He said while pointing at Selene… Or he would have, if Selene was still there with them. "Hey, where is she?"

"I dunno, and as long as she doesn't mess with the Totem Pokémon of Lush Jungle, I don't care! Now, Drowzee, use Confusion!"

…

Selene had walked all the way to Lush Junge's entance, looking around and hoping to find the familiar bulb she was s used to spotting between the vegetation. "Hey, Fomantis, are you around here?" She asked.

And her question was heard, since the little Fomantis came out of a patch of tall grass. It ran all the way to Selene.

"Oh, there you are! Alola!" She said while kneeling down, retrieving Litten's poke ball. "Come on out, Litten."

The ball snapped open, letting out Litten to stand right by Fomantis' side.

Litten meowed in a greeting manner to his friend.

Fomantis waved at him, happy to see the friendly, fire Pokémon of the girl.

Selene looked around before retrieving two plates from her skull purse, placing them in the floor in front of the Pokémon. "Now, let's see what we have for today."

Oran Berries were placed on both Pokemon's plates. To the side of the berries, a Poke Bean for each one.

"There. I hope you like it!" She exclaimed before the two creatures started to eat the food with joy.

Selene retrieved a packed Sandwich and a bottle of water from her purse, pulled down the handkerchief of the uniform and started to eat as well. She took a bite from the sandwich and started munching.

"Hey."

Selene got startled by the sudden call, gasping and starting to choke with her food.

The two Pokémon looked at the girl with concern, not knowing what to do.

She quickly took her bottle of water from her side and took a big gulp of water. Finally, she breathed in relief.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Selene looked at the two Pokémon with nervous eyes. Eventually, she pulled up the handkerchief to cover her face and turned in the voice's direction. "What do you want, yo?" She asked with a poor imitation of Guzma's mean tone, failing completely due to the nerves.

"You're a new recruit of Team Skull, right?" The blonde boy, who was the source of the voice, asked.

"Y-Yes- I mean! That's not of your business, yo!" She stuttered out.

"So you are. To be fair, I was not so sure you were one of them after seeing you come here every day to take lunch with that Fomantis." The blonde guy explained.

Selene gulped nervously. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Oh, so they don't know?"

Selene flinched at this, realizing her grave mistake.

"What's with that face? I won't tell anyone, if that makes you feel better." The guy said in an attempt to calm down the new recruit. "Althought, I don't see a problem with it."

Selene relaxed a little bit at this.

The boy then stroke a pose all of a sudden, catching the girl off guard. "The name's Gladion, and I'm also part of Team Skull… sort of…" He introduced himself.

Selene stayed in silence, unsure what to do next. "Ooookay? And I'm… Umm… A Team Skull grunt?"

"Yes, I suppose you can't risk having your true name revealed." Gladion said with a thoughtful expression. "Very well, then I should call you by a nickname. How about if I call you… Mantis."

"Emm… Excuse me?" Selene asked, flabbergasted.

"Because of Fomantis." Gladion said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh. Alright… I guess it makes sense…" 'Mantis' agreed awkwardly.

Gladion nodded, content with the nickname he came up with. "Good. Well, if you ever need anything, just look for me." He turned around, and as he left, he bid his farewell. "See you around."

Selene sighed with relieve, sitting slowly in the ground.

Litten and Fomantis moved to her side with worried eyes.

"Everything's OK. Don't worry about it…" She reassured them while pulling down the annoying handkerchief to show them her smile. "Let's just get back to eat."

And sure enough, they did.

After lunch time was over, Litten and Selene waved the Fomantis goodbye as the grass type Pokémon retrieved into Lush Jungle.

Selene retrieved Litten back into the poke ball and made her way back to the grunts, she reached them and spotted them and Drowzee celebrating.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked with curiosity.

"Yo! My bro here just caught the strongest Salandit you'll ever see! Ain't that right, bro?" The grunt exclaimed while directing his attention to the leader grunt.

"That's right! It was a tough battle, but Drowzee and I managed to weaken it enough to catch it! And it was AMAZING!"

"Yeah, yo, you should have seen it! Which, by the way, were where you?" The grunt asked, making Selene nervous.

"Well… I… Uhh…" She stuttered weakly, while her mind was running a mile an hour. Trying to find an excuse. That's when she remembered. "Oh, that's right! I meet this guy named Gladion!"

"Oh, so you bumped into the 'prodigy' our boss adopted, huh?" The leader asked with obvious disgust in his tone.

"Prodigy? What do you mean?" She asked.

"It's nothin', really. He is just one of the strongest trainer of Team Skull and my bro here is jealous of him." The grunt said, teasingly looking at the leader.

"Really?" She asked.

"No! That's not it!" The leader exclaimed with anger boiling inside him. "He's just a brat that is full of himself just because he has a mad strong Pokémon that does all the job for 'im! And he's not even part of Team Skull! But still gets all of our boss' attention!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest with rage.

"As I said, he's jealous." The grunt whispered into Selene's ear, just loud enough for her to hear.

"ARGH! Look what you've done! Now I'm too mad to think on anything else! C'mon, let's get outta here!" He said while walking away from the route.

"Awww, but we just got here!" The grunt whined.

"I SAID NOW!" The other one shouted, making both the grunt and Selene jump with fear before the two of them ran behind him, not daring to upset him any longer.

And just like that, the day came to an end for our peculiar group of grunts. Now that Selene is officially part of Team Skull, we just can wonder? When is she going to mess things up?

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
